GW: WebQuest

To help you acquainted with our site, try your hand at this
WebQuest on George Washington. Check the number of GWs for the level of difficulty. These questions
become more challenging as you move through them.

Front and Center

1. What were young George's opportunities for sibling rivalry?

2. What stamps would GW have had in his passport?

3. What are the origins of the respite from school now known as Presidents' Day?

4. At today's postage rates (34 cents per stamp), how much would GW have spent mailing his correspondence?

5. OK, once and for all, what's the final word on GW's dental hygiene?

Scratching the Surface

1. As a young man, GW earned a great deal of money taking surveys. What notable landmark did he use at one point to hone
his skills?

2. Since they couldn't go to the kitchen and pour
a bowl of Cheerios, what did the Washingtons feast on for breakfast? Or,
if you're not a morning person, seek out the menu for a typical dinner
at Mount Vernon.

3. GW was a enthusiastic technophile, continually
seeking new inventions for use on his farms. Find an image of one of his
ideas for improvements on his plantation. What would the benefit of this
have been?

4. Today's real estate agents would have drooled
over GW's vast properties, which, in various states, totaled thousands
of acres. How many acres did he own near Mount Vernon and how were they
divided?

5. GW did not enjoy sitting for the portraits painted
of him, but he might have been more willing if he knew what they were
worth today. Why has the "Lansdowne Portrait" of GW made headlines
recently?

Digging Deeper

1. In August 1761, GW lost some of his property.
How many of his slaves ran away? Where did he think they had gone and
what reward did he offer?

2. What priceless possession did GW return to the
British during the Revolutionary War? How did he know it belonged to the
opposing side?

3. What's the irony at the end of Washington's resignation letter as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army?

4. On what date was the first official Thanksgiving holiday celebrated in the United States? According to the President, what were Americans supposed to be especially thankful for over their turkey dinners?

5. In what situations did GW exercise his power of checks and balances as President?

Good Luck!

1. What did General Washington hope to prevent his
soldiers from doing at the end of the Revolutionary War? What arguments
did he use to try and convince them otherwise?

2. What did GW think that "the fairer sex"
could contribute to the country on the dawn of enacting the new Constitution?